Do you target feed fish?

kaylajoy

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I just got my first fish a few days ago, a tailspot blenny and a firefish. For feeding I just crumble up a small piece of the flake or pellet a few times a day.

It seems really wasteful because most of it just blows around and ends up in the sand or the overflow.

I have low nutrient problems so the food isn't bad necessarily but is there a better way to make sure they get some?

Do you just dump feed in the tank even if you only have a few small fish or do I need a target feeder?
 

elorablue

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I feed frozen and turn off all the pumps when I feed. This allows it to sink and get to the critters. Then after a minute or 2 I turn the pumps back on and anything that's left gets taken care of.
I would suggest one of those feeding rings for pellets but I doubt the Blenny or firefish would go to the surface to feed.
Are they eating the food though?
 

Gtinnel

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I would suggest one of those feeding rings for pellets but I doubt the Blenny or firefish would go to the surface to feed.
I don't know about all blennys but my Midas blenny meets my fingers at the top of the water to eat. Honestly he would probably eat out if my fingers if I tried.
 

KrisReef

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Support Algae Barn or some of the plankton and pod sellers on this site! Having a healthy pod population will feed your fish natural like.

I have target fed frozen pods to a mandarin in the past during broadcast feeding time and it learned to eat whatever food I was adding so that I didn’t have to shut off pumps or do anything else special for it to forage.
 
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kaylajoy

kaylajoy

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I would suggest one of those feeding rings for pellets but I doubt the Blenny or firefish would go to the surface to feed.
Are they eating the food though?

If it comes right by them they might, but they don't chase after it or come up to feed no. Could also be they're new? The blenny hides in it's hole often.

I'll pick up some frozen at the LFS this weekend and try turning out the pump.
 
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kaylajoy

kaylajoy

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I have target fed frozen pods to a mandarin in the past during broadcast feeding time and it learned to eat whatever food I was adding so that I didn’t have to shut off pumps or do anything else special for it to forage.

Oh there are plenty of pods for them to pick at lol but I thought the blenny was primarily an herbivore.
 

elorablue

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If it comes right by them they might, but they don't chase after it or come up to feed no. Could also be they're new? The blenny hides in it's hole often.

I'll pick up some frozen at the LFS this weekend and try turning out the pump.

if they're very new it may take them a bit to be super 'hungry'. Do you know what they were being fed before? My firefish was fed spirulina brine at my lfs so I got some of that to ease the transition and my clowns were fed mysis and they turn their noses up at the brine lol
 

KrisReef

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Oh there are plenty of pods for them to pick at lol but I thought the blenny was primarily an herbivore.
Blennies as a group are omnivores, some eat more algae than others but most will gladly eat living or frozen animals
 

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